Lou
Beautiful prose, but the lack of any plot made this tough to finish. I also never really bought into the main character, who felt very, "woman written by a man." I suppose this book has some interesting things to say about nostalgia, but I found I Served The King of England by the same author a far better read.
Beautiful prose, but the lack of any plot made this tough to finish. I also never really bought into the main character, who felt very, "woman written by a man." I suppose this book has some interesting things to say about nostalgia, but I found I Served The King of England by the same author a far better read.
Answered a promptWhat are your favorite books of all time?
Each chapter is a biography of a historical queer person: long enough to be pretty detailed, but short enough not to be boring. I don't think the book always stuck to it's premise of "bad" gays, that is, figures who aren't usually remembered in terms of their gayness and aren't claimed by the queer community because they would make us look bad. Some, like Aretino, were by the authors' own admission not particularly "bad", and others, like Röhm, while definetly "bad", are very much talked about in terms of their gayness. I also think this book was pretty light on analysis and oftentimes the analysis that was there, while always true and good, didn't really contribute to a larger argument. Still, the conversational tone makes this a pretty easy read for a nonfiction book and it would probably have been far more impactful for someone who hasn't already done a lot of reading about queer history. I feel like most of my criticism comes from already having read about certain historical figures in more detail elsewhere, which I can't really fault the book for. If you're on the fence, I'd give it a go since it was certainly enjoyable.
Each chapter is a biography of a historical queer person: long enough to be pretty detailed, but short enough not to be boring. I don't think the book always stuck to it's premise of "bad" gays, that is, figures who aren't usually remembered in terms of their gayness and aren't claimed by the queer community because they would make us look bad. Some, like Aretino, were by the authors' own admission not particularly "bad", and others, like Röhm, while definetly "bad", are very much talked about in terms of their gayness. I also think this book was pretty light on analysis and oftentimes the analysis that was there, while always true and good, didn't really contribute to a larger argument. Still, the conversational tone makes this a pretty easy read for a nonfiction book and it would probably have been far more impactful for someone who hasn't already done a lot of reading about queer history. I feel like most of my criticism comes from already having read about certain historical figures in more detail elsewhere, which I can't really fault the book for. If you're on the fence, I'd give it a go since it was certainly enjoyable.
The Price of Meat
Underrated little novella based on sweeney todd. I love it when KJ Charles messes around with different genres and there's some genuinely horrifying descriptions in this book. Great world building too, reminiscent of something I might have read and loved as a kid.
Underrated little novella based on sweeney todd. I love it when KJ Charles messes around with different genres and there's some genuinely horrifying descriptions in this book. Great world building too, reminiscent of something I might have read and loved as a kid.
At first I didn't like the writing style and felt like it was trying too hard to be cryptic and mysterious, but then the mystery hooked me. I read the entire thing over the course of a transatlantic flight.
At first I didn't like the writing style and felt like it was trying too hard to be cryptic and mysterious, but then the mystery hooked me. I read the entire thing over the course of a transatlantic flight.
Beautifully illustrated graphic novel with a dreamy tone. Clearly written with a trans audience in mind. I'm not sure I "got" everything (probably because my french isn't perfect), but worth picking up for the illustrations alone.
Beautifully illustrated graphic novel with a dreamy tone. Clearly written with a trans audience in mind. I'm not sure I "got" everything (probably because my french isn't perfect), but worth picking up for the illustrations alone.